Alternative Ways of Brewing Coffee

Alternative Ways of Brewing Coffee

Don’t Skip the Budding Specialty-Café Culture in Quito, Ecuador

Introducing the specialty cafés of Quito, a city worth exploring on your coffee quest. BY JORDAN BUCHANANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Featured photo courtesy of Stratto When traveling across South America, Ecuador can be forgotten between the high profiles of Colombia and Peru. Similarly, coffee from Ecuador may be overlooked due to its giant neighbors, including […]


Lvl Up Coffee Hits High Scores In Normal, Illinois

Specialty coffee in the central Illinois town of Normal has reached a new stage of quality with the opening of Lvl Up Coffee Bar. Brought to life by coffee roaster…


Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

In this series, we ask coffee professionals how they like to drink their coffee while at home and when traveling. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo courtesy of Justin Pierce Coffee professionals tend to spend most of their days brewing coffee. Baristas brew coffee behind the bar for their customers. Roasters brew it to […]


The Slingshot Chalice Puts a New Spin on Espresso Dosing

Hong Kong and Australia-based coffee equipment maker Slingshot Technology recently launched the Chalice Distributor Cup, a multipurpose espresso preparation tool for baristas. Displayed in its final production form at the…

Alternative Ways of Brewing Coffee

Why it’s easier for wealthier producers to grow specialty coffee

It takes money – and sometimes a lot – to grow specialty coffee. Producers not only need to continuously maintain and improve quality and yields, but they also have to invest back into their farms. Whether it’s replacing equipment and machinery or planting more resilient varieties, producers need to turn a profit to operate their […]


Three Questions with IWCA Executive Director Blanca Castro

When International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Executive Director began her job years ago at the Guatemalan coffee association Anacafé, she knew next to nothing about coffee.  “I just pretended that…


Hawaiian Legislators Introduce Bills for Stricter Coffee Labeling

Legislators representing the Kona district of Hawaii have introduced a series of bills that would require more strict labeling requirements for single-origin coffees and blends containing Hawaiian-grown coffees. Some Kona…


10 Minutes With Helena Oliviero: Part One

We talk with coffee champion and Q Grader Helena Oliveriero about her career, her life in Colombia, and what it means to be a young woman in the male-dominated coffee world.   BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo courtesy of Helena Oliviero Helena Oliviero, originally from Tuscany, Italy, is 28 years old, but already she […]

Alternative Ways of Brewing Coffee

Know Your Sweeteners: Agave: Part One — Indigenous Use

Known today primarily as a sweetener, agave can be traced back thousands of years. BY EMILY JOY MENESESBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo by Bruno Cervera via Unsplash Recently, we launched our brand new article series “Know Your Sweeteners,” where we’re discussing a variety of sweeteners and syrups, and analyzing the unique characteristics of each one. […]


5 Cool Cafés Worth a Try in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, one of Thailand’s most fascinating cities, is home to a vibrant specialty-coffee scene, with many cafés and roasteriess often offering locally grown coffee. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Tim Durgan via Unsplash With a population of 3 million, Chiang Mai is a little (by Asian standards) gem in northern […]


Torr Launches the Hive Cafe Countertop Coffee Concentrate System

Commercial cold coffee equipment company Torr Industries recently rolled out a countertop-friendly version of its signature Hive Brew cold coffee system, called the Hive Cafe. The northern California coffee company…


Sumatra Coffee Farmers See Gains Through Agroforestry and Organic Fertilizer

Farmers in Indonesia’s Lampung province are making their own organic fertilizer in order to lessen reliance on volatile external supply chains. They’ve also diversified the number of crops they grow,…

Alternative Ways of Brewing Coffee

Alternative Ways of Brewing Coffee

Fruity coffee

Jan 29, 2024 |

I recently visited a coffee plantation and bought a bag there. They sold their bags there with labels on how the bean was processed. This “Natural” processed coffee is incredible. It’s fruity. It doesn’t have that like signature “burnt” flavor coffee has. It almost...

Different espresso recipe?

Jan 29, 2024 |

I work at a cafe where they are using a dark roast blend and they are pulling 32g from a 18g dose for espresso. Strangely however, they pull it in 6 seconds instead of the usual 20s-30s. I’m not sure why they don’t use the standard recipe and am too afraid to ask...

Drip Coffee – Does the machine matter?

Jan 29, 2024 |

Hello, Everyone! I am in a bit of a predicament and would like some guidance. For context - I am still an amateur coffee guy. I have begun to dabble in the coffee world and am slowly building my knowledge. A few years back, I began to explore quality coffee and get...

UK coffee bean recommendations

Jan 29, 2024 |

Hi. Can anyone recommend some companies that do speciality beans. I’ve tried a fair few but I like to rotate and try something new. Here’s a few I’ve tried, some do really good coffee, some I thought were just ok: - Hasbean - Horsham - Perky Blenders - North Star -...

Alternative Ways of Brewing Coffee

GIVE THESE BREWING METHODS A TRY

As a result of the pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee, a number of alternative coffee brewing methods naturally come to light, on the merit that they produce the best strong, dark coffee. While there are indeed quite a number of different alternative ways to brew coffee, three methods stand out from the rest, simply because of the quality of the flavor they produce. These methods include the French Press, Aero Press and Pour Over (a personal favorite of many of the staunchest of coffee heads).

1. The French Press

The French Press method, which makes use of a French Press (or Press Pot), is not only about the rich taste produced but also about the experience of making the coffee. The grind used is a medium-to-coarse one, and the process is dependent on water temperature and grind that operates between percolator and dip to create what many deem the perfect cup of coffee. 

2. The Aero Press

The Aero Press method plays on a balance between finely ground and coarse grains, with a finer grind acting as a control for sourness, while a coarser grind directly impacts the bitterness of the taste. The secret to the unique taste resides in the use of an Aero Press scoop and filters.

3. The Pour Over

The Pour Over method of brewing coffee is just about as good as it gets—if one requires some of the strongest coffee they’ll ever taste, with the technique entailing a thoroughly rinsed filter that lets all the flavor pass through. Slow pouring is key to unlocking all the flavor, used in conjunction with well-filtered water and a quality grind of about 60 grams. 

So for the real coffee enthusiasts out there, it might be time to move that drip coffee maker over and out of the way. Instead of just reaching for “Ol’ Reliable” every time, try exploring other brewing methods to achieve maximum perfection for your tasty, bold, smooth cup of coffee with an extra kick of caffeine.

[Featured Image Credit: Tyler Nix via Unsplash]

Related: 

Your Guide to Coffee Brewing Ratios

How to Grind Coffee Beans For Different Brewers

Alternative Ways of Brewing Coffee

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Alternative Ways of Brewing Coffee

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